A New Perspective
by AriaAnnette
Summary: "He was a broken man and she could not fix him." ItaSaku
1. Chapter 1

**This takes place after the fourth shinobi world war.**

**It takes everything that has happened in the manga so far into consideration. But some things may be different since we dont know how the manga will end yet!**

**This is an ItaSaku fic. NaruSasu is also present. It was originally going to have NaruIno and Sasukarin in it but NaruSasu ended up winning. Though NaruSasu is mostly just implied. Though there may be some moments in it. I haven't decided to keep them in yet or not.**

**I had previously uploaded this story before however, I wasn't to happy with it. ****There will only be a few chapters of this. About two or three. Originally this was supposed to be a long series, however, with 'Secondary,' it was just impossible to balance two long stories at once. My friend Michi and I had actually wrote this together but we both agreed to shorten this universe so I could focus on 'Secondary.'**

**Rated: M **

* * *

It doesn't mean anything.

They are simply two people whose paths have been intertwined solely by circumstance.

It means nothing when he's buried deep inside her. Or when she digs her short nails into his back and cries out his name_._

It especially means nothing after they climax, when he kisses behind her ear and holds his spent body against hers. Or when she entwines her hands with his and he runs his fingers through her hair. Nor does it hold meaning that they spend the rest of the night filling the sex-scented room with their shared goals and dreams. Dreams that no one else knows besides each other.

They are not in love.

They are simply two people who have found temporary release in one another. Tomorrow they will go back to being acquaintances and being comrades who have been assigned to work alongside one another due to the current Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto's, order.

She knows his history. After the war, Sasuke had Kabuto resurrect his beloved older brother. It was easy to convince the medic-nin, for the man had regarded Itachi highly. After many failed attempts and some years later, he had finally succeeding in resurrecting Itachi and as difficult as it was, it could have been even more so, if Obito hadn't preserved Itachi's body after his death. According to Sasuke, his hair had been shorn and now it was as short as it was in his youth and he looks more healthy and 'less broody' than he did when he was alive _the first time_.

Aside from Team 7, Tsunade, and Sasuke's team Taka, no one else knows. Nor does anyone else know about the truth behind the Uchiha massacre or that Uchiha Itachi is one of the most thoughtful and caring people she has ever met.

To everyone else, he is the 'thought-to-be-dead-but-not-really-dead' relative of Sasuke. To everyone else he is known as 'Daisuke.'

While Sasuke and Naruto know plenty about Itachi, they don't know what she does and that is what he's like behind closed doors and under the sheets.

During the day and in front of others, he is Uchiha-san.

At night, he is just Itachi.

He is the man who reads her ballads and sonnets from his favorite poets. He is the man who soothes her worries and calls her beautiful. He is the man who is so passionate when they are intimate that sometimes even she is convinced that he's making love to her and not just fucking her senseless.

When daylight breaks, he falls back into the mold of the perfect shinobi. Stoic and obedient. Quiet and reserved. They barely exchange a glance or share words unless needed.

They are back to being impersonal again. He is just Uchiha-san and she is just Haruno.

They are not in love.

She knows he doesn't want a relationship. She's been around him long enough to know how much he hates himself and how he thinks he's undeserving of love. Of her love.

But she knows that Itachi's starting to care for her beyond what started out as a platonic relationship and 'fuck buddies.'

She knows because she feels similar.

Itachi doesn't want to hurt her and she doesn't want to hurt him.

_"It's best if we retain our professional relationship and end our intimate one."_ He tells her one night.

_"Yeah." _She feigns a smile, so expertly, she even convinces herself for a moment. He dips his head down and brushes his lips on the diamond seal on her prominent forehead.

_"Goodnight, Sakura."_

_"Sweet dreams, Itachi." _She shuts the door but feels him linger for a few moments. Sakura knows he can feel her doing the same. They say nothing between the wooden door but she knows the words on his mind and she's sure he knows the words on hers.

_'I miss you already.'_

_'I miss you too.'_

_'I'm sorry it has to be this way.'_

_'I know. I love you.'_

_'...'_

They cannot be together and she knows it. He doesn't want to hurt her and she understands.

Their encounters lessen and they treat each other simply as comrades during the day and now they go their separate ways at night.

So it doesn't hurt when they are on an assignment in Kumogakure and the shinobi, Samui, is flirting with him and he's flirting back. It doesn't hurt when he's late to their meeting with the Raikage the next morning and she knocks on his motel door only to have him answer in his boxers. His usually smooth hair is disheveled and there's love bites and scratches up and down his torso. She knows that he feels nothing for Samui and she was just a fuck to get her out of his mind.

She knows Itachi doesn't want attachments because he doesn't think he deserves it.

So she tells -_forces_- herself to believe that it doesn't hurt.

_"Sakura?" _He questions.

_I'm sorry._

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she says, _"You're late for the meeting with Bee-sama."_ She looks past him and at the blonde woman who is sleeping on his bed. A thin cotton bed sheet is the only thing covering her otherwise, very nude body. "_I'll tell him you're running a little late._"

Sakura feels a range of emotions at the sight. She wants to cry but she also wants to hit Samui so hard in the face that a dark bruise circles around her eyes. Those same '_bluest eyes that remind' _him_ 'of the depths of the ocean.' _She wants to gag at the thought of him flirting with her and the woman flirting back. She wants to vomit at the fact that she could smell the stench of sex from the night before still present in the air. She wants to wants to hit Itachi so hard in the groin that he never has sex with anyone ever again.

Sakura knows that she's being immature and that she really shouldn't be mad. Itachi and her are not dating and Samui doesn't, nor anyone for that matter, know what has been going on between them.

She turns to leave, but he grabs her arm and he smiles sadly at her. "_I'll be there soon._"

Nodding once, she tries to pull out of her grasp but he doesn't let go. There are tears forming in her eyes and she doesn't want him to see her this way. Yanking her arm away from him, she stalks down the long narrow hall of the motel and doesn't say another word. He doesn't stop her, but she knows he watches her until she's out of his sight.

Sakura can't lie to herself anymore. She loves him.

She didn't plan on her feelings turning into this, but after months of getting to know so much about Itachi, she can't help but be so in love with him.

Sakura wants to convince him that he's not a monster and that's he's not all to blame for the massacre. She wants to convince him that he deserves to be loved and that he is loved.

She is so in love with Itachi that the fact that he doesn't think he is worthy of her love hurts her so bad.

Sakura wants to be happy but more than anything she wants Itachi to be happy

* * *

6 months ago.

* * *

.

.

.

Sakura was mindfully munching on her meal, enjoying the combination of sweet and spicy flavors on her palate. It had seemed like an eternity since she had last eaten her mother's cooking. After she moved into her own apartment with Ino, she had been seeing less and less of her mother and her cooking and more of Ino and their daily junk food binges.

As wonderful as it was finally living away from her parents, she had found that she often missed their company. Over the years, she had taken them for granted. Being a foolish teenager, it wasn't until after the war did she realize how lucky she was. Her parents could prove to be nuisances but they loved her and most of all, they were _alive_. Ino, on the other hand, was not so lucky. It was hard to put Yamanaka-san to rest, but it had made her see life in a different light. Life was fleeting and there were many things that she had yet to accomplish. Always painfully clinging to the '_what could have beens_,' the loss of so many people she cared for showed her that there was no time to think in such a way. She remembered all too clearly what it felt like when she saw _him_ during the war. For years she had awaited his return and hoped he'd embrace her in a way she always dreamed of, but things changed. The man that she'd seen fight at her side was not the man she always thought he was.

After the enemy was defeated and the plume of smoke cleared, the world stood still among the dust and ash. Thousands of shinobi had lost their lives during the war and even more had had been severely injured. Despite all the atrocities they had just witnessed, everyone knew just what needed to be done. Just as the shinobi from all five nations fought together, they also had to rebuild together.

Seeing the entire shinobi nation actually smile, laugh, and just _live_, after being surrounded by so much death, gave her a new perspective. She had existed for years, but it wasn't until the battle was done that she realized she had not truly been living. And just like everyone else, she, too, would stand back up and and look forward to the future. For she, was a warrior who not only looked death in the eye, but she conquered it.

Once again, they had returned to Konoha without Sasuke, but she did not falter this time. All along she had proven useless when it came to him. They were twelve years old when she had gotten to see a side of him that many had never seen before. And for years, it was the only thing she clung to. "_Thank you_," he told her the night he departed all those years ago. And it was those two simple words that she clung to. He did care, he _did_.

Yet it wasn't until after years of chasing after him and seeing Naruto's defeated expression did she realize the truth behind those words. Those words were a farewell. A promise to never see her again, for he had no intention of ever returning. Sasuke had chosen the life of a missing nin years ago. While she and Naruto had only good intentions by wanting to bring him back, ultimately, they didn't understand him at all.

Sasuke had forgotten her long ago. He did not love her and he never would. And now, after all these years, the realization did not bring a tear to her eye, nor cause a twinge in her heart. Had she had told herself years ago, it would have felt as if the world had crashed around her. And as much as she was telling herself to feel something, she couldn't feel anything.

Not about him.

Not anymore.

The war made her see things clearly. Always having that medic mentality from even before training with Tsunade, not only did she want to save him, but she wanted to heal his heart. But she couldn't do either, because someone else had already saved him. While she wasn't the one to mend him back together, knowing that he was no longer consumed by paralyzing darkness had brought her the closure she needed.

Did she ever truly love him? Was she simply someone who wanted him to smile in the way she wanted everyone? The answer did not matter anymore. Because she never expected him to enter her life the way she had dreamed of when she was a young girl. But most importantly, she didn't want him to.

She was a warrior and a woman.

And she would never allow any man to make her feel unworthy.

Never again.

The knock on the door shook her out of her stupor. Emerald eyes glanced up to meet the look of her mother's bewildered expression.  
Of course, her mother's bewilderment was replaced with glee, when the door opened up to reveal Naruto, who took no time to invite himself in.

"Sakura-chan! Baacha-" Her mother quickly smacked the back of Naruto's head, making him hiss in exaggerated pain.

"Naruto?" Sakura was surprised by his sudden arrival. It had been a few days she had seen him last and he certainly did not say anything about seeing her any time soon. While, his sudden appearance was not expected, it was definitely welcomed.

"I'm surprised royalty like yourself would grace us with your presence!" Her mother joked.

The Uzumaki had grown so much since the war ended three years ago. Before she could look directly at him and now he she had to look up at him.  
"I'm not royalty. I'm still the same person as always!" He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "Besides I'm not Hokage, yet. There's still a few weeks left until I get inducted."

"You're so young still. Even younger than your father was when he became Hokage. Not to mention, you're not even married yet! But not for long of course. I'm sure all the kunoichi in all the five hidden villages are already lining up." The older woman nudged him with her elbow.

Sakura felt bad but was also amused when she noticed just how red he was turning. It was funny that after everything he had been through, talking about the opposite sex and relationships still made him flush with embarrassment.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura questioned, cutting in to save her closest friend from embarrassment. Though, she was still a little bit taken back by his presence. He had been so busy transitioning into being the next Hokage, that she wasn't sure if she would ever see him like this again. It was apparent from the dark bags under his eyes he was weary, but of course he would not let that stop him.

"I needed to speak to you about something."

Her gaze flicked toward her mother who was watching the exchange with curiosity. Realizing that she was intruding on their privacy, her mother threw her hands up in defeat.

"I get it. I get it. I'll leave you two kids alone." The blonde woman said before she headed toward the door. "But clean up your plate when you're done. And don't leave without saying bye. That goes for the both of you!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Sakura waved her mother away. When the older woman had finally left, she turned to Naruto. "So, what's this about?"

Naruto exhaled softly, but stood firmly. "It took a lot of consideration but I finally selected all the members of the council."

Her ears perked up that. It was true that she had not seen Naruto in a while because Tsunade was preparing him to take her position. But one of the main reasons was Naruto had often gone some_where_ to see a certain some_one_. She had no clue what he was up to. Naruto kept in touch with him, but he always spared her the details.

That was until today.

"Sasuke..." She uttered much more softly than she intended too. She wasn't sure why his name still made her feel uneasy, but the name felt harsh when it rolled off her tongue.

Naruto nodded. "He finally agreed to come home."

"Home, huh?"

The blonde smiled sadly. "Yeah."

The idea that he was returning back to Konoha after eight years of being a rogue nin sounded incredibly strange. Why now? What had changed so much that he decided that it was time to finally return?

Her gaze met Naruto's.

"Under what conditions? Because I find it hard to believe that after all this time he would agree without any reason."

The blonde chuckled. "You're too smart for your own good, Sakura-chan." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "He wants to... bring his people here. You remember them, right? From the war."

No doubt Sakura remembered them. They were the group of people Sasuke had chosen himself to travel along with him. She hadn't spoken to them, but it was apparent that Sasuke chose a life with them over his former team. She once wondered what it was about those shinobi that Sasuke preferred over their former team 7.

"I've only spoken to that redhead before."

"Karin."

"Yeah. But that was before the war when Sasuke..." She trailed off. The memory of the Uchiha engulfed by darkness still hurt too much to think about. The deranged look in his eye when he tried to..._strike_ her twice.

Why did Naruto want Sasuke back in Konoha, anyway? And why was she suddenly opposed to his return? This was something she wanted for years and yet now, the idea that he was actually going to return...Her throat felt dry suddenly. She didn't like this at all.

She shook the thoughts from her head. This was not about her. This was about Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto went through hell and back to get Sasuke back and now was not the time to disagree with his decision. She would not be selfish and ruin this for both of them.

She would not let this deter her from living her life to the fullest.

"Sakura?"

"I'm happy to hear that." She stubbornly pressed on a smile, quickly recovering from her stumble. Maybe she didn't like the idea, but it was something she would have to live with, even if his name alone did stir unpleasant feelings in her belly.

Naruto smiled brightly. His smile alone made the negative feelings subside. In fact, his sunny nature always had that effect on her. On everyone, really.

"Shikamaru is not too happy about it. But Sasuke is different now. _Trust me_. Returning will be the best decision. Besides the Uchiha are part of Konoha. It's only natural that the only two left alive live here and help rebuild their clan."

"_Two?_"

* * *

The day started simply enough. She threw on her civvies, appropriate enough for the meeting but casual enough to be comfortable in. She combed through sheared her pink locks, it was short as it was back when she was fifteen She then tightened her hitai-ate over her hair, deep red contrasting pastel pink. With everything in place, she set off for the Hokage tower.

Being part of Naruto's council, she was expected to attend their first meeting along with the other rookies. Passing along all the shops and civilians in the village, the day seemed pretty normal. The weather was cool and the sky clear. It was a comforting solace that had remained unchanged since the war ended five years ago. The only thing that was off was the apprehension swirling in the pit of her belly. Years had gone by since she last saw Sasuke and after everything that happened, part of her hoped she'd never have to see him again. Her younger self would have been distraught if she knew that she would end up feeling this way.

It did not take her long to reach the Hokage tower and it took an even shorter time for her to reach the room where they were expected to convene.

It was not the first time she had been to the meeting room. Being close to both Naruto and Tsunade, she had attended various meetings before and she was rather familiar with the room and what took place in them. The room was rather large. A small stage was positioned at one side of the room and a large table, able to accommodate up to twenty-five persons, was on the other side.

She saw a rush of familiar faces seated at the long table. Tsunade, Kakashi, Shikamaru and the rest of the rookies of her generation. Unsurprisingly she sat between Naruto and Sai. Sai's expression was much like everyone else's, much like her own. Skeptical and reluctant. It was apparent that everyone felt uneasy about Sasuke's return.

"This better be a good idea, Uzumaki. Because if he or his people so much as threaten to harm a hair on that stupid head of yours, we will fight back with no hesitation." Tsunade threatened across the table.

The blonde waved his arms profusely. "Don't worry, Baachan. Everything will be fine."

Moments later, the sound of a knock on the large wooden doors echoed throughout the meeting room. Genma entered shortly after with Sasuke in tow.

The sight of Sasuke made her feel strange. And it was the first time she realized she did not feel anything for him anymore. During the war, he had actually spoke to her rather calmly, yet now he acted as if she had not existed. Perhaps it was because when Sasuke had threatened to end Naruto's life after Madara and Obito had been beaten, she intervened. After everything Naruto had went through for Sasuke she didn't allow him to even nick him. The return of the memory angered her. Really, why did he even bother to return?

When he sat down in a chair opposite from Tsunade, the other members of his group walked in right after. She had seen them all before, during the war. They had been so relaxed then, despite everything that was going on around them.

Lastly, the second Uchiha that Naruto had mentioned to her earlier walked in.

Itachi.

His cover was that he was a first cousin that had left Konoha with his sensei a few months before the clan was massacred, too afraid of the 'evil Itachi' to return to Konoha and he went under the alias, Daisuke.

Naruto had told her what had really happened all those years ago. He had been ordered to kill his family for Sasuke and Konoha. He wasn't truly a monster, but a good person forced into a terrible, yet, inevitable situation. Still, she couldn't help but feel afraid of him despite knowing the truth.

She studied him as he settled across the table. It was the first time she had ever _really_ gotten a good look at him. He looked very similar to Sasuke. Contrarily, his hair appeared silkier and lighter in color. He had a sharper angular face, and heavy eye troughs. He was taller than Sasuke, and certainly much leaner.

She wondered how he felt being back in his old village after everything that happened. But decided not to dwell on it much.

Everyone's eyes were on the rogue-but-not-so-rogue ninjas on the room. The aura of uncertainty everyone felt was not well hidden.

"We should get things started!" Naruto beamed. It was obvious he was the only person in the room that was on good terms with everyone in the room. Not too mention he must have been ecstatic to have Sasuke back in Konoha.

"I suppose we should," Tsunade mumbled. "What do you have to say for yourself, Uchiha?"

Sasuke's elbows were on the table, his head rested his folded hands, "There is not much for me to say. Except that I am here to lead Naruto in making correct decisions in running this corrupt village."

'_Corrupt village._' Sakura knew he was referring to the Uchiha massacre. At that moment she glanced over at Itachi who seemed to tense at those two words, but her mind must have played tricks on her because he relaxed immediately. She studied him momentarily, but soon, he realized she was staring because their eyes met briefly. She quickly turned her attention away from him.

Kiba laughed almost manically. "You bastard! How dare you come here and try and tell us how to live? After everything you did, you're-"

"Kiba. Enough." Shikamaru spoke tersely. His dark gaze flicked from Kiba to Sasuke, eyebrows furrowed. "I don't trust you either, but I'm not here to put my faith in you. We're all doing this for Naruto. You should be grateful he has done so much for you."

"I am aware." Sasuke answered in a monotone voice.

"Don't you think you owe everyone an apology? After everything we went through for you, we deserve that much." Choji said seriously and suddenly.

Sasuke stared at the portly shinobi with vexation and the tension in the room suddenly thickened. At that moment Naruto intervened.

"I know there are a lot of things you want to talk about and we will get to that eventually, but right now we have to set aside our differences." Naruto paused briefly and closed his eyes. He sighed softly before opening them once more. A large grin stretched across his face. "It's important that we respect each other and consider each other's ideas. It's the only way to make this village the best it can be."

Sakura smiled. It was a wonder how inspirational Naruto could be in times like these, but it served to remind her exactly why he deserved to be Hokage more than anyone else.

The Uzumaki continued. "I want us all to be able to work with each other despite what happened in the past. It's the only way we can move forward and give Konoha a better future."

It seemed that was enough to get everyone in the room relaxed than they had been since the meeting started.

However, it was short lived.

The room grew silent when Sasuke spoke once more. "I'm aware you still don't trust me, but Naruto is right. We need to change some things in this village. A lot has happened in the past that could have panned out differently had the former council been diligent enough to care about the well being of everyone."

It was odd hearing Sasuke speak in such a level-headed manner. Naruto wasn't lying when he said Sasuke had changed. But she couldn't help but wonder what made him so grounded. He and his team looked so relaxed around each other, as if they were truly friends. They didn't have that tense airy feeling that lingered around their former Team 7. Or perhaps, her pale green gaze wandered toward the silent Uchiha, who was sitting up right across the table. Maybe having his older brother back in his life, alive was the cause for the change in Sasuke's demeanor.

"Sasuke and Shikamaru are the head of the council. If you have any concerns, you can come to me or either of them. Baachan will assign you your new positions on my council." Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I hope I'm not being too strict."

"I'm not even retired yet and you're already bossing me around," Tsunade reprimanded. There were only a few weeks left before she would retire from being Hokage. "Don't forget to speak with me before you leave here today. We have already discussed the new positions you will all be given."

Shortly after the meeting, Sakura found herself in an incredibly awkward situation. Appointed as someone on Naruto's council would have been much more rewarding had her partner been someone else. The person she was intended to work with was Itachi. She huffed indignantly. Maybe she should have continued working at the hospital like her mother suggested, because the idea that she had to work so closely with Sasuke's older brother was unsettling.

She spent the better part of her teenage years obsessing over a guy she thought she knew and loved. It wasn't until she was older that she realized she had been foolish in her supposed love for him. When he finally left her mind and escaped from her reoccurring thoughts she felt liberated. Yet now, she would have to work with a man that looked so much like him. The man who made him go insane. The idea made her feel trapped. There was no worse feeling she felt than when she spent her life obsessing over a guy who did not care for her as much and she didn't want to constantly be reminded of that. Yet despite asking Naruto to pair her with someone else, he wouldn't budge. To make matters worse, Tsunade agreed with him.

The pink-haired kunoichi was interrupted from her thoughts when a tall figure suddenly stood over her.

Bending at the waist, he bowed to her, before straightening his posture. His tall form once again towering over her petite one.

"It is very nice to meet you, Haruno-san. I have heard a lot about you from Naruto."

Sakura nearly cringed. He spoke so proper it was so weird hearing that speech come out of someone's mouth who looked so much like Sasuke. Even more-so that he was referring to her so formally.

"There is no need to be so formal when speaking with me. We will be working with each other from now on. Sakura is fine, Uchiha-san." She responded in a clipped tone. While she didn't really know anything about this man, she wasn't entirely convinced by his polite speech. Charming as he was, there was something off about him and it made her even more apprehensive that they were to work alongside each other.

"Yes, you are right. My apologies, Sakura." His voice was deep and smooth and there was an almost tangible confidence in his speech.

Her attention turned away from him. Itachi was being nothing but kind to her but for some reason his presence was overbearing and heavy. It was as if he carried the weight of a million souls on his back, but tried to hide it behind a smile and eloquent speech. She wasn't sure if anyone else had felt it when they spoke to him or if anyone had spoken to him at all. But still, it made her uncertain.

He continued to loom over her with confidence that seemed to transform to uncertainty. "Ah. I will not take any more of your time. I look forward to our working relationship."

She inclined her head in kind gesture. "Oh...Yes, me too."

"Until tomorrow then." He waved at her and she stared dumbly in response.

He was certainly nothing like Sasuke.

* * *

Naruto had placed her in charge of foreign relations, with her social skills and intelligence, she was more than capable of keeping Konoha in good relations with the other shinobi villages.

Like every morning, her morning started out as normal as any other. She worked out, then ate, showered, and got ready for another day. There wasn't anything particular special about this day. Other than the fact that she needed to turn over her last remaining patients to Shizune who was officially taking over as head of the Konoha Hospital.

Although she resigned from her position from the hospital, she still hoped to expand her knowledge on medical ninjutsu. But there were other things she needed to do first. Wanting to broaden her horizons, it was the reason why she accepted Naruto's offer to join his council.

It wasn't until the previous day that she was actually informed of what she was going to do. Naruto certainly did not tell her she was going to be working with Itachi. She scowled. Had Naruto known all along? In fact, was he the one who decided on it? If so, why her of all people? It suddenly made sense why he came by the previous day to fill her in about Itachi.

When Sakura arrived to Shizune's office, she was more than a little surprised to find Konohamaru just leaving the building. Being three years younger than her, it wasn't often that they mingled unless Naruto had invited them over. Recently having turned eighteen and officially becoming a jounin, she guessed it wasn't too shocking to see they had been given some tasks by Naruto.

"Sakura-san!" Konohamaru called out to her. She was practically tackled to the ground when he threw his arms around her. Though he had not grown significantly, it was still strange that he was now taller than her. She remembered when he was still a bratty little kid and still had yet to go through a growth spurt.

"You're looking as lovely as always." The male gave her a toothy grin. "What are you doing here? I was actually coming to see you right now."

Pulling his arms off of her, she took a step back. "I just came here to see Shizune."

"Oh! We just saw her! I'm now appointed as the Hokage's messenger. Moegi and Udon too, they're out on a mission now though. Pretty neat, huh?" The Senju said happily. It was no secret that the boy had a crush on her. She wasn't sure when it happened but when she had worked at the hospital he'd occasionally visit her. It was a sweet gesture, but she was definitely not interested. To her, he would always be that immature little boy who pulled pranks with Naruto. Perhaps pranks and the rasengan wasn't the only thing Konohamaru picked up from Naruto.

"Very." Sakura paused for a moment, just now registering his words. "You were coming to see me?"

He nodded profusely and pulled off a scroll that was attached to his belt. "This is from the Naru- the Hokage. I'm not really sure what it is but I have to give one to your partner too." His face turned into one of distaste. "It's weird, isn't it? After all these years, we're just now hearing about another Uchiha. It's kind of suspicious, don't you think?"

Despite his cover, it seemed that Konohamaru was skilled enough to sense the darkness that covered Itachi.

"It is but..." Sakura posed momentarily. She decided it was bet to not give anything away. "Maybe he was afraid."

"Of his psychotic cousin?" Konohamaru sneered, flexing his arms. "Please, I bet I could take him on now!" His face turned serious, he looked off into the distance.

"I know Naruto cleared him but I just don't trust him. I feel like he's hiding something."

There it was again. Itachi didn't outwardly say or do anything differently than anyone else, it was just his entire existence that was suspicious. She had bad feeling if anyone ever did find out his true identity.

"I can understand your view." The pink haired kunoichi paused momentarily, mulling over her words. "But we have to trust in Naruto. He's never been wrong before!"

"I know, but still." He placed a hand on her shoulder, looking down into her eyes. She could nearly feel the heat in his gaze, it felt strangely intimate. "If you need anything, I'm here for you."

She pushed his hand off of her shoulder and grinned unimpressed. "I can take care of myself."

Konohamaru flushed. "Right, right. As expected from Sakura-san!" The Senju scratched the back of his head, his cheeks became an even more intense shade of red. "Do you think that maybe we could...uh..."

Not wanting reject him, she interrupted him.

"I need to get to Shizune before she gets even angrier from me being late."

"Uh-yeah!" He smiled brightly. "Until later!"

* * *

It had been several weeks since Itachi had returned to Konoha along with Sasuke and his comrades. It felt strange to say the least. Konoha looked very different from what he remembered. According to Naruto, Pein destroyed the entire village. The aftermath was so severe, the village literally needed to be rebuilt from the ground up.

While it looked nothing like it did when he was a boy, the dark memories of his past still lingered. It was suffocating and overbearing and more than once he had contemplated fleeting. If it wasn't for Sasuke, he wouldn't have returned in the first place. But after years of making Sasuke's life hell, he decided that this was the only way to make it up to him. And still, this act was comparable to a drop of blood in the ocean. He could never make up for the atrocities he had put his precious brother through. In fact, it had amazed him that Sasuke was so accepting and loving towards him after everything. Had it been the other way around, he wondered if he could have returned the same feelings and with such tenacity.

If things had gone the way Itachi wanted, he would have preferred to remain a rotting corpse and give back to the world he desecrated by never damning it with his wretched existence again. But of course, things never went his way. Itachi never believed in a higher power, but if there was a deity out there, it certainly did not believe in his abilities to control his own life.

And so here he was, back in his village, completely incongruous. Few personally knew his relative whom he was pretending to be and still people would stare at him with eyes full of contempt. There weren't many who knew his actual identity. Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Tsunade-sama were filled in about the truth when Naruto was negotiating their return to the village. It was one of the main reasons that had allowed Sasuke to return in the first place. Itachi imagined if they had not been filled in about that detail, they would have never been permitted to return. Apparently his partner, Haruno was also informed, as well as the shinobi, Sai.

He wondered if he would ever get used to his new life or would he forever roam around familiar faces who treated him like a stranger. It was then he realized that his past had truly worked a number on him. He was constantly in fear that people would find out his identity and also found that it wasn't until he was alone that he truly felt safe. Of course, he couldn't tell Sasuke about this. Sasuke had enough of his own problems to deal with. Problems that he mostly (unfortunately) had caused.

Though now that he recalled, he was set to be in an almost partnership with Naruto's kunoichi friend, Sakura. After years of traveling around with Kisame, he found it was easier to communicate with people when it was just one on one. Perhaps there was more to this partnership than he originally thought.

From what he was informed, Sakura was a medic, who had trained under Tsunade. It was not like he was sick anymore. Kabuto had made sure to give him healthy, proper working organs. So his physical health was not it. Itachi stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out if Kakashi was up to something by partnering him up with the younger kunoichi. Certainly, the older man was not playing matchmaker. He would never do something as erroneous as such. The girl was practically like a daughter to the copy nin, after all. Not to mention, it was not very common for men at his age to partake in the like.

The more Itachi thought about it. The more he realized just why he did such, and the reason irritated him. The Uchiha inwardly sighed. So, Kakashi thought that he may have been mentally unstable? Did he think some kunoichi who had mostly acquired her experiences from physical wounds could help with _trauma_ he may have endured. He wasn't sure if it was a kind gesture or slightly insulting.

Itachi decided it was best to not think much of it. There was no way out of the situation he was in now. Even if death came knocking on his door, he would have to refuse its offer to take him back. The very least he could do was be grateful to those who were now in charge of the village and had accepted Sasuke back.

The older Uchiha yawned. His eyes closed surrounding him the darkness he had grown used to. Tomorrow was a different day. The beginning of the rest of his life. Perhaps he would make the best of this second chance he was given and gain a new perspective. After all, it was not heard of someone getting a second chance to live again.

Literally.

The following day he would begin working alongside the woman that Naruto seemed very fond of whenever he mentioned her. He would have assumed it was love, had he not been pursuing his little brother. Or perhaps, he was still in love with her. He wasn't sure, nor did he care to concern himself in other's personal matters. What he did care about was performing his new job as best as he could. In order to do that, he needed to become better acquainted with his partner.

Itachi was no stranger to the opposite sex. In fact, he found he had a much easier time speaking to women than to men. Of course, it should have been as easy as that. The first day he spoke to Sakura, however, she seemed extremely distant and uninterested. Having great intuition, he suspected the younger female had some underlying reason for why she was behaving as so.

When he was a member of the Akatsuki, he did not concern himself in getting on their good side. For their opinions on him did not matter. However, things were different. Once he had been reborn into the world he had left behind, his fate was already determined by his brother. He once had controlled Sasuke's life and now Sasuke controlled his. It was poetic justice.

He needed to care about what those in the village thought about him. To give Sasuke a life that he deserved, he needed to help cleanse the bad reputation associated with the Uchiha name. And he would start by getting Sakura on his side.

* * *

He woke up early.

Even when he was in the Akatsuki he would wake up before the sun would rise. Part for fear of his life, but mostly because there was always so much to do, but not enough time to do so in a single day. Despite returning to a safe environment, the amount of work that needed to be done did not lessen. He was expected to meet Sakura, with whom he was expected to work with for the next few months. The assignment they had been given was to arrange the Chunin exams. Seeing as the Chunin exams was an international event, they would eventually need to meet up with two other representatives from allied villages.

Itachi had taken part in the chunin exams when he was a child, ten years old to be exact. The thought that he would be involved in it sixteen years later made him feel strange.

After a few minutes he arrived to the Hokage tower. It looked much more modern than the previous one he had so vividly remembered. While the past one had been spherical in shape, this one was much more angular. Though, it was a bright red, much like its predecessor.

Walking through the large halls he passed by many faces, all who had either spoke in hushed voices or stopped talking all together. It had been a week since his return, but it was more than apparent the villagers did not take a liking to him. Of course, he had expected such to occur. It would be a very long time before he or his brother were ever trusted, but he would not hold it against them.

They had every reason to feel as so. Madara and Obito had practically destroyed the little good left that was attached to their family name. According to Tsunade-sama, Sasuke had done just the same, however, to atone for his "atrocious and traitorous actions," as she so bitterly put, he would be confined for two years and would be prevented from using his ninjutsu for five years. The idea that Sasuke would be put in such a vulnerable position did not sit well with Itachi, yet surprisingly enough, Sasuke was more than for it, so long as he and his comrades could return to the village and start anew. It was so unlike Sasuke to make such a request, but he assumed that this was Sasuke's way of returning the favor of keeping him alive out of love and not hate.

Little did Sasuke know, was he wanted nothing more than to remain dead. But he would not ever tell him so. Instead he feigned ignorance to Sasuke's true motive. Yet again, his life had become to live for Sasuke, though this time it was much different. This time it was to ensure his brother's happiness and not his safety.

After a few moments, he arrived to the room he was expected to meet Sakura in. To his surprise, she was already there. Diligently writing on a single sheet of paper. She hardly looked up when she bid her greeting and carried on with her task. Her handwriting was so neat and curvy, very unlike his. Despite being praised for many things, he was often scolded for his poor penmanship. And so, he made a mental note, to let her handle any duty that required writing.

"Good morning, Sakura." He said, taking no time to sit across from her, in one of the empty chairs at the long table. The room was a little dusty and dimly lit. Few bookshelves lined the wall and old paintings of the creators of the exam adorned the gray cracked walls. On the contrary her cropped pink hair was a bright and shiny. And despite the dreary room, she was practically glowing with focus and resolution.

He then noticed official documents laid out in front of her.

"I was not aware I had to bring in any documents."

Again, without looking up she spoke. "The materials were delivered to you."

"I did not receive any documents." He replied, though she did not say anything further. He had sense that she had been skeptical of him, much like everyone else in the village. However, unlike anyone else in the village, they were supposed to work together. Though, he found that it may be difficult with the barrier she had put up between them.

Itachi sat in silence for many moments, while she continued to work on her task. The room was quiet except or the vigorous writing of the young woman. He almost felt guilty that he had slightly disturbed her with his presence, of course, if he hadn't shown up, that would have been much worse.

Finally, she set her pen down, only to pick up the single sheet of paper and read what she had been so diligently working on for the past few minutes. It was only when she was done that she looked at him and acknowledged his presence.

"I must express my apologies for not coming prepared. I will be certain to come prepared next time."

The kunoichi stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. "Konohamaru's squad was supposed to bring the documents to you. His division is currently in charge of delivering messages..." She trailed off. An expression of realization dawned on her face. "That little twerp didn't deliver the documents..." She cursed under her breath. "My apologies, Uchiha-san."

"It is no trouble. I am sure it was an innocent mistake."

"...and you're not reporting to me. We're a...team, remember? There's no need to be so formal."

"Ah." He responded simply. Though it was apparent she felt extremely uncomfortable in his presence. Itachi quickly changed the subject to ease her tension. "What is it that you are working on?"

Her eyes trailed down to her work. She handed him the paper scratched with her writing. "Seeing as we're heading the chunin exams this year, I was making some adjustments."

"Adjustments?"

She nodded her head.

"The exams have continuously followed the same pattern for decades. And yet every year there are several that are wounded to such severity they're no longer able to continue to their career. But worst of all, we have even sustained some casualties! You would think the safety of our inexperienced shinobi would be of utmost importance and yet we have all these startling numbers that prove otherwise. Hell, we even have a release form that ensures the exam proctor won't be held accountable for deaths. It's preposterous."

"Hm." Itachi mulled over her words. He agreed with her completely but for some reason she had struck a nerve with him. Rather than letting her know his true thoughts, he evaluated her veracity. "It is our duty as Konoha shinobi to make decisions that will ultimately help the village. These genin choose to risk their lives and they should be given that choice. These changes you wish to make are puerile at best."

"You're saying it's okay to lose innocent lives?" She snapped angrily. It was not difficult to notice the change in her aura but he continued with the facade and the own warning he had issued himself in his own mind could not stop him from pressing on.

"I am not. However, this exam mirrors what a shinobi would experience on daily missions. The genin are unfit to take these exams and yet they and their mentors make the decision for them to participate. They choose pride over the prosperity of their village."

She crossed her arms and shook her head, averting her eyes away from his.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing."

He fully intended on acting much more kind, however, the rational, or perhaps irrational side of continued to speak. "You are foolish."

"Excuse me?" Her eyes snapped toward him and she glared daggers. Her stance was meant to be threatening, but he found it anything but.

"There may be a time in a shinobi's life, in which they must make complicated decisions. Even if it was not what they originally sought for." It then occurred to him, why she said had struck a nerve with him. This entire time he had replaced the image of these genin with the younger version of himself. But during those ages, he was anything but a child. As soon as he was able to show any form of prowess, his father considered him an adult.

"You're justifying the injuries and deaths of several children during these exams."

"Tell me something, Sakura. Do you believe if a child is ordered to kill, they are still innocent?"

She appeared taken aback by the question. But she raised her voice, placing harsh emphasis on each word. "A child should never be blamed for the carelessness of adults."

"These genin are given weapons and are taught to kill." He leaned closer to where she was sitting across the table and looked deeply into her eyes, allowing himself to gauge her reaction. "That is not a child."

He could see the anger practically burn in her pale green orbs. Instead of responding she fumed quietly, packing up her belongings and mumbling under her breath. Slowly, she walked to the door before she turned to him one last time and hissed under her breath. "I am not working with you."

Her nearly inaudible words were so sharp he could have sworn he felt them cut into him.

And instead of responding himself, he watched her with an almost dumbfounded expression.

Itachi knew he was out of line and should not have said the things he said. In fact, he wholeheartedly agreed with her notion that Konoha's young shinobi should be protected. For some reason, he had looked at the situation as if they were discussing his past when he was a so-called child. And he was more than certain this girl would have felt sorry for him, just like she felt sorry for all those other children she wanted to save.

Regardless of what Sasuke thought, he was a flawed man and at times even a reflective man such as himself could act irrational.

He wasn't even sure why he was letting this get to him as much as he was. Death was supposed to free him from the shackles of life. Yet, he was imprisoned once more.

Itachi ran his fingers through his short locks. (It still felt strange to him that his hair was short). The only person who was a fool, was himself. His entire purpose of urging Sasuke to return to Konoha was so he could have the life he didn't have. With the terrible reputation the Uchiha had, he knew that making allies for their shamed clan was crucial and yet, he made an enemy of the one person who Naruto assured him he would get along with.

This Sakura woman would never know the atrocities he had to face. She would never know what it was like to raise a blade to the people she loved. Or what it was like to see the deadend eyes of people she knew laying in a pool of their own blood, due to her own hands. No one in the village would ever know what he did because they did not have cursed blood running through their veins. The idea that an intelligent person like her would surely forgive a monster like himself, caused him to act irrationally and make him respond to her in an atypical way.

Despite Sakura's clear disinterest in him, he knew he had to make amends. After all, they would work alongside each other for sometime, he knew it was best for both of them that he acted tolerable and not insensitive. Not to mention, it would be better for him and Sasuke in the long run.

All the dark implications that were associated with their clan would never cease, but he may as well assist in clearing up the Uchiha name, that he himself had helped in disgracing. Of course, the villagers did not know who he truly was. But soon enough they would know him as Daisuke and if he and Sasuke could make amends for their clan, then they would do just that.

Instead of eating lunch he worked in the dingy room, silently. This time he read over Sakura's plans to revamp the chunin exams. From reading her plans, not only was it apparent that she was highly intelligent, but she was thoughtful. She truly did care about her fellow shinobi and her village. In a corrupted world she remained optimistic and surprisingly naive.

Despite having a relatively decent plan, it didn't seem like she had a way to make the changes into a reality.

And he knew how to do just that.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello folks. Get a snack or a couple of meals because this is longer than the first chapter.**

**Hopefully there aren't mistakes. We spent the the night editing and we're tired so we may have missed some things despite checking it over a few times.**

* * *

Sakura stormed into Naruto's temporary office.

So full of rage, she didn't even think of knocking on the door. Instead she slammed the door open a little more forcefully than she should have. It wasn't until she was in the office that she realized she may have walked in on something private.

Naruto was at his desk, but he wasn't alone. In the chair across his desk, sat Sasuke.

Her best friend's expression showed he was surprised by her sudden appearance,

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. Rubbing the back of his head, he smiled widely. "Uh...what are you doing here?"

Sakura stared at the pair, completely dumbfounded by Sasuke's appearance. Sure, she had seen him during the meeting, but she didn't expect (nor really want) to see him any time soon.

Had this been years ago she would have been delighted to see Naruto and Sasuke getting along, but so much had changed, that the sight before her just felt odd. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but _feel_ she should study the scene before her a little more closely. Though she couldn't understand why.

"Uh...I can come back later..." She muttered, tumbling toward the exit.

"No, no. It's okay. Right, Sasuke?" Naruto asked the Uchiha.

"Tch." Sasuke clicked between his teeth and stood to his feet. "I'm going."

"_Why_?" Naruto questioned.

Sasuke glanced at her briefly, then looked back at Naruto. "You apparently have a lot to talk about, stupid."

"I'm not stupid!"

"Could have fooled me."

Sakura's eyes flicked back and forth between the two males. It was strange how things between them had returned to how they once were. Yet, there was something about their interaction that made it seem much warmer than she remembered. They were so comfortable around each other.

On the other hand, there was an awkward tension between her and the dark-haired male. Sasuke_ looked_ just like the boy she remembered, but he _felt_ like a stranger.

Walking passed her, his dark eyes locked with her emerald ones. It was as if her sudden appearance had inconvenienced him.

What could he not be in the same room as her? She felt a surge of annoyance at his reaction but tried not to think about it. If he was going to act like she was a nuisance then good riddance. It's not like she wanted to be around him either.

Once he was out of the room, Sakura spoke.

"What's his deal?"

"It's nothing really. Just Sasuke being an idiot."

"You can say that again..."

The Uzumaki sighed then sat down and she took the seat in front of him. "He still cares about you too, you know."

"I can feel the love." She said sarcastically.

Naruto chuckled nervously. "It's been years since he's been back here among everyone. He's just having a hard time adjusting."

Sakura knew that was probably the case, but still, she felt irritated. It was no secret that those two had an incredibly deep bond. And while she knew Naruto also cared about her deeply, she always felt secondary to Sasuke. Now was one of those times. Sasuke had acted rudely and instead of saying anything about it, Naruto overlooked it.

Just because he cared about the Uchiha, didn't mean he had to defend everything he did.

"You're excusing him again."

Blue eyes widened at the accusation. "I'm sorry, Sakura. Honestly, he really does care. I know he does."

_His actions since he's been back certainly doesn't say that._

Whatever he supposedly felt, she didn't even want to hear about it now.

Thinking about that dark haired boy who she had once spent her life chasing after was the last thing she wanted to talk about.

"That's not why I'm here." She changed the subject.

"O-oh! Right. So, uhh...Sakura-chan, why did you come in here anyway?"

_Right._ She had more than one Uchiha burdening her life.

"I would like a partner change."

The blonde looked dumbfounded. "_Why_?"

"He's rude and inconsiderate and I just can't work with him."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Itachi!"

"_What_?"

Sakura groaned. Was Naruto purposely being dense?

"I just find it hard to believe that he would be rude or inconsiderate. Did you say something to upset him?" Naruto asked.

"Why do you assume _I_ was the one who said something wrong?" Groaning, she filled in the blonde with everything that happened. The whole time he wore a dumb expression as if he could hardly believe what she was saying. She wanted to smack him.

"So, he said all those things..." The Uzumaki pondered over the words momentarily, before he spoke again, "I'll talk to him."

"_Talk to him_? What is that going to change? We're trying to improve our village's system. We can't have someone who wants to keep things the old way."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do."

* * *

0000

After a very unsatisfactory day, Itachi returned to Sasuke's home for dinner. He, along with Sasuke, Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo had been sent to live in an isolated area on the outskirts of the village. The residences were old farmhouses, which up until they arrived, were vacant. They were traditional in appearance, made of wood. They greatly contrasted the buildings within the more populated region of the village. In fact, these homes had reminded him of the ones that were once within the Uchiha compound all those years ago.

Itachi lived alone in the much smaller, more compact house of the two they were given. It wasn't much in the least, but it was more than enough considering everything he had done in the past.

Truth be told, he liked the arrangement much more than when they lived in Otogakure. The place they resided in Otogakure was much more dingy, not to mention they lived in the same residence as Orochimaru, something he disliked greatly.

Upon arriving to his brother's sizeable home, he took his shoes off at the door. Despite Sasuke having him brought back, they rarely spent time with each other. They cared about each other greatly, that much was for certain, but after everything they went through, it was hard being around each other. He knew Sasuke had some resentment for him...admittedly, he may have harbored some too. They were siblings after all, he supposed it wasn't too odd of a feeling. Perhaps it was good they did come to those terms anyway. Itachi really didn't deserve the forgiveness he already received.

Before he could even step in the house, he heard the loud bantering between a male and a female. It didn't take much for him to know who those voices belonged too.

_"...and clean up your damn mess, idiot."_

_"Stop yelling at me, you animal."_

_"I'm not an animal!"_

Itachi padded quietly into the living area where the fracas was taking place. He watched quietly as the two bickered back and fourth. Glancing across the room, he found Jugo was watching in the same manner. They both had been quite accustomed to this arguing. Jugo much more so, as the man had known Suigetsu and Karin for much longer than he.

As if his silent presence was much louder than the actual yelling match in the middle of the room, Karin and Suigetsu turned toward him and quieted down immediately.

"Is there a problem?" He questioned, his eyes flicked back and forth between the two.

"Karin is just being annoying as usual." Suigetsu rolled his eyes.

"I am not, you're just a lazy, incompetent child who can't clean up after themselves!" The bespectacled women gestured at the water spill.

The two were glaring daggers at each other once again. No doubt ready to yell at each other again in a few minutes.

Itachi exhaled softly. Usually, he had found them to be quite pleasant, but whenever the two were around each other, they often fought and bickered ceaselessly. He was grateful that Jugo was reserved, however, he rarely interfered in their arguments. He wondered how Sasuke dealt with it on a regular basis.

His gaze landed on the former Mist nin. "If you do not clean the spill immediately, the tatami mats will start to smell."

The redhead crossed her arms and smiled triumphantly. "See, I told you! Now clean it up before Sasuke finds out."

"You'll do anything for Sasuke, right, Karin?" Suigetsu nudged her in the side with his elbow. The redhead's cheeks burned nearly as bright as her hair color.

"I-I do not. Like I care what that idiot thinks!" She adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

"You clean and cook for him. What else do you _do_ for him?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Her fist rushed toward the man's face, but he dodged her attack. Suigetsu snickered and the young woman's face turned to one of rage. No doubt, ready to fight again.

Itachi pinched his nose. These two were really something else. Not wanting to hear the two shout and bicker, he interfered.

"Suigetsu, please clean up the spill." The male rolled his eyes and mumbled insults under his breath. He turned to the Uzumaki woman who was laughing at his expense. "Karin, please prepare dinner." The woman groaned.

It was going to be a long day and he still had yet to see Sasuke.

* * *

000

Sasuke sat on the porch of the house, bathing in the flaxen light of the sun. His bare feet sunk into the plush green grass. A book in his hand and a stack or paperwork at his side. The younger Uchiha looked so entranced in his readings, that he hardly noticed Itachi walking toward him. Or so it seemed.

Without glancing up, he acknowledged his presence.

"Nii-san."

"Sasuke. Are you busy?"

Sasuke's dark gaze finally met his own. His little brother looked much older these days. While he didn't often speak about his position on the council, Itachi knew he was under extreme stress. _Worst of all, it had only been a day_.

Though, Itachi found that the pensive expression Sasuke was wearing fit much better than the his constant scowling.

"Moderately."

He sat beside his younger brother and picked up one of the books he was reading. Quickly, he scanned through the pages. As he expected, they were political books from various nations. It was apparent that Sasuke was taking his career as a councilman seriously. He was searching for policies that would prevent another tragedy like the Uchiha massacre from occurring again. This very fact was almost a reality check for Itachi. His brother still wore the wounds of his past on his back.

_The wounds he put there._

If only he had consulted Sasuke all those years ago_._ Perhaps things would have been different.

He inwardly laughed at himself. To think he once told Sasuke he had no regrets.

"Nii-san?" Itachi had been so immersed in his thoughts, he hadn't even realized Sasuke had been waiting for his response.

"How are you finding your new position?" He recovered quickly.

Sasuke sighed. "It's fine."

"Have you reconciled with your old friends?"

"I don't consider those people my friends."

Itachi frowned. "Sasuke."

"What? I don't. I'm only here to fix up this screwed up village. You know that." The younger Uchiha stared at him for a long time before the realization dawned on him. "No. I never considered them friends. But I'm willing to work with them to preserve the Uchiha's honor."

Itachi knew his brother was lying. There was always a purity and kindness to Sasuke that not many knew about. He may have acted like he detested everyone but deep down...deep, deep down, he did care. After all, his younger brother forgave him after everything he put him through. He still wasn't sure why or really how, Sasuke could forgive him and accept him into his heart again. But he was grateful all the same. It was moments like this, where he was partially grateful he was revived again. To see his brother in a healthier and positive light gave him sort of a sense of pride. His grudges may have been deeply rooted within him, but he was growing up into an admirable man. ...Albeit, a little slowly.

"You consider Naruto a friend, do you not?"

"More like an irritant."

"Hm." Itachi faintly smiled at his brother's remark. Sasuke constantly acted and spoke about Naruto as if he was a nuisance but Itachi knew better. In fact, he knew there was more going on between them. There was always something about the Uzumaki that influenced Sasuke in a way that no one else could. He never could fully comprehend it and he was sure that he never would. Regardless, he was glad Naruto was a positive influence in his brother's life.

For that, he was happy.

"Is that why you came out here? Or did you want to ask something else?"

Of course, talking about Sasuke's work wasn't the main reason why he came out there. His meeting with Haruno Sakura had been on his mind all day. He couldn't help but feel guilty that he had acted so irrationally. Seeing as she and Sasuke were former teammates, he decided that perhaps get could get a little more insight on the pink-haired kunoichi.

"What do you make of Haruno?"

"Sakura? She has useful skills."

"Skills? Was she not a teammate of yours?"

"She was."

"Do you not have fond memories of her? I would have presumed you considered her a friend considering you were once teammates alongside Naruto."

Sasuke clicked his tongue against his teeth. He was becoming increasingly annoyed with the plethora of questions. "No. I told you already. I don't consider those people anything."

"You consider Jugo and the lot your companions."

"Itachi, If this is why you came out here, then I'm going to get back to work now."

"I apologize. I mostly came out here to tell you dinner is ready."

* * *

At dinner, they all sat civilly at the low table. It was almost comical to see them all in such a normal setting considering their dark history. Suigetsu wondered how Sasuke and his brother could come back to a village where so many resented them. They were all social outcasts, sent to the outskirts of the village because they were not accepted by the masses.

"Say Itachi," He sneered, his sharp teeth making him look all the more condescending. "You seem a lot more _chipper_ than usual." Suigetsu found his remark hilarious, because Itachi was anything but. In fact, the man had appeared tired and rather irritated ever since they learned they would return to Konoha.

"I do not know what you mean." Itachi responded simply.

"Oh, please. Ever since we got here, you've been more mopey than usual."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Mopey?"

"Shut the hell up, Suigetsu." Karin commanded.

"What? It's a reasonable question."

Itachi stared at the other man with indifference.

"He is right. You are acting strangely," Sasuke said, "How was working today? And don't lie, Itachi."

Itachi sighed."I made a slight error while working with Haruno today. That is all."

"So, that's why you asked about her earlier...and what do you mean an error?"

Suigetsu spoke with his mouth full. "Did you call her flat chested?" Apparently, it was a poor choice of words, because Itachi glared at him angrily. He threw his hands up in surrender.

Uchiha's never could take a joke!

"Suigetsu, stop bothering everyone." Sasuke chastised, he turned his attention back to his brother. "Explain."

The older of the group sighed. He couldn't believe he was actually explaining himself as if he were a young child. "We are working to revamp the chunin exams and I found her approach to the matter a little naive." The group stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "And I called her foolish."

Suigetsu cackled and held his sides as if they were going to split.

"I fail to see how this is laughable." Itachi narrowed his eyes.

"Suigetsu, enough." The young Uchiha demanded harshly. Suigetsu did just that as he wiped a tear from his eye. When the man finally quieted down, the silence in the room became uncomfortable. Sasuke rested his his face on his hands, appearing deep in thought. He may have appeared composed, but Suigetsu could tell the Uchiha was a little exasperated at the thought that someone was rude to his precious brother_. _

"What did she say to upset you?"

Itachi shook his head. "It is I who is to blame. My remark was uncalled for and I intend to apologize for my disrespect."

It was always a wonder to Suigetsu how the older Uchiha was always so polite and formal while Sasuke was rude and rugged. They were completely opposites in more ways than one. It was ironic. Sasuke was often confident and arrogant while his brother was modest and moderate. Itachi was strongly opinionated, while Sasuke was much more open to learning. Sasuke was good at leading and uniting them as a group, while the older let them get away with things that Sasuke reprimanded them for.

The list truly went on. From years of traveling and living with the two Suigetsu learned much more about them than they would have ever imagined.

The funny thing was that although the two were so different in many ways, they got along so well. In fact, he had never seen them fight and it was a wonder how they managed that. If he had been in Sasuke's shoes, he definitely wouldn't have taken as kindly to Itachi as Sasuke did. Though, he supposed he would never understand either of their logic. He never had siblings.

Then again...

His gaze looked at the individuals at the table. While he had his share of scrapes with each of them, he supposed that Team Taka, became the little family he never had.

* * *

0000

Sakura was working on her assignment in the comforting solace of her office. It had been a few days since she had last seen the elder Uchiha, which told her Naruto had indeed listened to her request of getting her a new partner. It was strange, though, because she still hadn't learned who her next partner would be, leaving her wondering who would take Uchiha Itachi's place. There was very few who Naruto trusted to be on his council, after all. (In fact, it was a wonder how Itachi had gotten such a high position in the first place).

Admittedly, she felt a little bad for not giving the elder Uchiha a proper chance. But still, his remarks were uncalled for. For years Konoha had risked the lives of their young shinobi, rarely ever preparing them for the cruel world. Considering his past, she would have thought he would be the first person to understand her views. Instead, he had called her foolish and said her ideas were puerile. It was a shame, really, these children that she was trying to protect were his age when he was forced to massacre his clan. The idea that he was so opposed to making changes still made her feel angry. If she wasn't so opposed to seeing him again, she would try to beat it through his thick skull that he was the one that was wrong and not her.

It did make her think about the situation regarding Itachi a little more deeply though. Perhaps because he had dealt with such terrible things at a young age that maybe it was embedded in his head that doing such things were expected. Maybe he truly believed that the age of a person did not mean they should be exempted from experiencing such horror.

That thought actually made her feel a little sorry for him and for a moment, _maybe, just a teeny bit_, she felt bad for giving up on him so early.

Then there was the chance that maybe he was used to be given up on constantly. She frowned at the thought. No one, _not even someone as insufferable as he_, deserved that. She sighed. Now she felt terrible.

He had always been seen as a weapon for his clan. A very deadly tool, sharpened to be used against those who dared defy them. Ironically, their deadliest weapon was used against them.

The thought was like a bitter taste in her mouth. No one should ever have to go through what he did, or what she did for that matter. Thirteen was much too young to see life escape from the eyes of a person.

It was almost barbaric that the village trained children to kill and be killed.

She did not realize that when she was younger, but now, it was something she wanted to change.

Truthfully, the fact that Uchiha Itachi seemed to harbor some twisted views was not the only thing that bothered her about the man. Regrettably (and immaturely), another reason why she could not work with him was simply because of_ who_ he was and the fact that he looked so much like Sasuke.

Remembering her youth brought a surge of emotions. There were many moments she had with Sasuke during their days on Team 7 that she treasured. Yet, thinking back to more recent events pained her. The darkness had consumed him and more than once he tried to end her life.

And yet, she had forgiven him after all those ruthless attempts. Because she _loved_ him. Or what she thought was love. It wasn't until years later did she realize she was not truly in love with Sasuke, but more with the idea of the man she thought he could have been.

Sakura was happy he had come to his own terms and returned to the village. She was sure he was at the very least, satisfactory, now that he found out the truth about his brother and could live a life with him. Naruto was also firmly at his side. Not to mention he had acquaintances that he shared his personal space with. But still, the idea that despite all the efforts she had put in to help him turned out to ultimately be unsuccessful felt unpleasant. Perhaps it was selfish of her to want him to go away so she could once again live uninhibited. But things were different and her village was more important than her personal feelings. The Uchiha were an essential part of Konoha's foundation and even Naruto's. There was no reason why she should want him to leave, especially after years of wanting him to return.

Besides, she was an adult now. She could forgive him for what he had done, but she would never forget.

But more than anything she hated that she couldn't swallow up her petty feelings and automatically tried getting away from Itachi just because he looked so much like Sasuke.

A knock on the door shook her out of her thoughts. She was quite glad because she realized that she doodled random shapes on very important documents.

That was until she saw who was at the door.

Uchiha Itachi.

The sight of him brought up all those ill feelings again.

"What are you doing here? I already told Naruto to give me someone else to work with." She bit out.

Itachi stopped in front of her. It felt too close for comfort but she remained firm under his intense gaze.

Staring at her very seriously, he said, "He will do no such thing."

"And why not?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I told him not to." Itachi replied simply.

Pink eyebrows furrowed. "..._Why_ would you do that?"

Knowing that verbal words would not get his point across, he simply handed her a file of plans he created as well as a list of names of very influential shinobi who could help change the world. Conveniently, some of those people also owned training zones that could accommodate younger shinobi to prepare for the chunin exams. The zones were safe yet still challenged and prepared them for their future as warriors. He may have been known to the world as Daisuke now, but gaining the favor of those shinobi would be easy, considering he knew just how to work them.

"What is this?" Pale green orbs squinted over the words scrawled messily in front of her. The prodigy's hand writing was tiny and uneven and it was almost difficult to imagine that a man who people had once described as perfect actually had such imperfect handwriting. After deciphering just what he had handed her, her eyes widened in disbelief.

It was a list of names of some of the most renowned shinobi in the world. Before the tension between the hidden villages thickened and the third shinobi war broke out, Tsunade told her stories of shinobi who had fought to keep peace between the villages. This was a list of those same people who had once fought tooth and nail for solace. Now some of them even had training zones to teach youth about warrior life and coexistence. More importantly, contacting these people was almost impossible, for a lot of them attempted to keep out of the public's eye (their views of peace were not favored by some of the old generations).

"This...How did you get in contact with these people?"

"Consider it an apology for my attitude the other day. I admit I was disagreeable." Sakura snapped her attention back to the Uchiha. She was almost in disbelief of the words that were coming out of his mouth. Did he really just admit he was wrong? She thought she was hearing things until he continued. "Your commitment to protecting youth is very admirable."

Pretty words they may have been, but she wasn't going to just accept his apology (no matter how good it was). The man was terribly rude to her the other day and it wasn't something she was just going to let slide. Not to mention, he seemed to completely contradict his stance from just a few days ago. Wasn't he the one who called her foolish for wanting to protect the shinobi children of the Hidden Villages? Was he just trying to get on her good side?

Her meeting with Naruto occurred to her. Her best friend was adamant on her working with Itachi. Now the man was before her, apologizing and saying her idea was admirable. It was awfully _convenient_ that all of sudden, his opinion changed in a matter of days.

"Did Naruto put you up to this?"

"He did not."

She stood up and jabbed her finger at his chest. "I don't buy it. What are you _really_ after?"

It wasn't until she was standing that she realized how much taller he was than her. He was about head taller. It was slightly intimidating. Looking up at him, she also noticed the colors of his eye. They were obsidian with slivers of cobalt...and very mesmerizing.

Itachi blinked twice before Sakura heard a low sound rumble in his throat. She assumed it was a laugh, although it sounded rather unnatural and out of years of practice. Yet it was quite nice and -_Wait. Was he really laughing at her? _

Her frown deepened. She really wanted to strike him in the face. _His very attractive face_, she added as an afterthought.

"I assure you I am no threat to Konoha, Haruno-san." He moved back from her offending forefinger. His expression once again became very serious. "I would like to make your dreams a reality."

Sakura stared back, dumbfounded.

That was something she had not expected. She almost didn't know what to say. Especially since he was being sincere!

Sighing, she glanced over the contacts he had given her earlier.

As much as she wanted to be immature and tell him to 'shove it' for his attitude the other day, she couldn't deny the fact that his actions and words did seem honest. While she couldn't quite understand why he had changed his opinion so quickly or why he disagreed with her in the first place only to end up agreeing with her, she decided maybe it wouldn't hurt to start over. After all, part of her felt guilty for giving up on him so quickly anyway.

"I still don't like you."

The corner of his lips quirked very minutely. It was almost unnoticeable.

"That is understandable."

Her frown dissolved into a pensive one.

"But, I guess I can give this partnership another chance."

"I ask for nothing more."

* * *

0000

The next week came soon enough. Once again, she had shown up to the office first. From all the years of working at the hospital she had long ago adjusted to waking up early. Surprisingly, the week Itachi had returned seemed to go by faster than the first week when he was absent. But still, she rather enjoyed having a few minutes to work alone before the Uchiha arrived. It helped her form ideas clearly when she was alone. _Or rather, when he was not around._

In the past days she had worked with the Uchiha, he had always been kind and polite (excluding that terrible first day, but she tried not to hold it over his head). He was incredibly intelligent and worked efficiently. Not to mention he seemed genuinely interested in her ideas.

Admittedly, however, looking as closely to Sasuke as he did, still made the whole ordeal slightly difficult.

It wasn't right of her to hold whatever happened between her and Sasuke against Itachi. She could care less about her childish idea of what she thought was love, but still she felt bitter that her former teammate had never spared her a second thought as a _comrade _since_._ The eyes of that young boy which were now a distant memory still seemed to haunt her whenever she looked at the older Uchiha. However, Itachi was anything but a boy, while some of his features had reminded her of Sasuke, they still had their differences.

Despite being several years older than her, Itachi treated her like an equal. It was a nice change to be around a man who didn't doubt her due to her age and gender. But it was more than likely because the man himself, was an anomaly. He may have been in his late 20's but he spoke so incredibly mannerly it was as if he was an old man.

Sakura noticed he had some unbreakable habits from his time in Akatsuki as a spy. He constantly looked over his shoulder and always listened to the conversations of people who passed by the room they worked in. Being a medic, she easily recognized it as paranoia. Of course, with her expertise, she knew how to treat such a thing. With what he had experienced, though, she was almost sure it wasn't something that would ever go away.

As much as she wanted to stay away from him considering his appearance and relation to Sasuke, she also wanted to help him. She kind of felt that if anyone could break down the walls he put around himself it was her. She did so with Sai and he turned out to be one of her closest friends. Maybe her relationship with him could be the same.

Itachi came in a few minutes later. Despite greeting her with slight enthusiasm, there was some weariness to him.

It was as if the ghosts of his past still haunted him.

Despite working together for days, she knew very little about him. Other than what Naruto and Kakashi had informed her, at least. Any time she asked him about his personal life, he would change the subject. She wondered if he didn't like to remember.

"I have made contact with key benefactors." The man said as he sat in the seat across from her. He neatly organized the papers on their shared table. There was scribbled notes off the margins.

"What did they say?" Sakura's eyes widened.

"They would like to meet with us in a few days."

"A-a few days?" She sputtered. "That's really soon. I mean, we still need approval from Naruto and that might take several weeks. Not to mention I didn't want to exactly present this to him without having it all ready..." She trailed off tapping her forefinger against her chin.

He smiled very softly and for a moment she fell silent.

"I firmly believe you will be able to convince them."

"I guess..." She felt her cheeks become a little hot at his warm expression. She wasn't normally so easily charmed, but this Uchiha was just damn graceful. "Where are we going first?"

"Iwagakure." Itachi removed a scroll that was buckled to the belt of his pants. He handed her the scroll and their fingers brushed slightly. "Kimura Akihiko is the man we will talk to."

She sighed. "Where are we going after that?"

"Kusagakure."

"We're basically going to every hidden village, huh?"

"And then some."

"Ugh."

Itachi inwardly laughed at her response.

Despite having a much more stable working relationship with Haruno, he knew she was still wary of him and more than once he noticed she studied him closely.

Still, unlike the rest of the villagers, her stares were not of hatred, but of uncertainty. For some reason this kunoichi did not hate him despite his cursed blood and tainted past. While it was true he took the lives of his fellow clansmen to protect Konoha, he still _murdered_ many.

_No matter how hard he scrubbed the skin on his hands, they were still stained with their blood._

He wondered how she could not hate him despite knowing the fact. The only conclusion he came to was that this woman was so incredibly naive and pure, that she believed he was not to blame.

Itachi was unsure how someone with her mindset had managed so well in the shinobi world thus far. Most like her, had been killed on the battlefield long ago. Yet somehow, with her intelligence and strength, she proved that yet again, his so-called genius, did not mean he was always right. In fact, he was amazed that she was the complete opposite of what shinobi were supposed to be and yet she managed to flourish.

He found himself highly intrigued by her for she was everything he was not.

Admittedly, he also rather enjoyed the few hours a day they worked together. Even though he knew he was granted too much by even being in her presence.

Itachi watched Sakura with mild amusement. She was intently reading the scroll he handed her moments ago. He found that the young woman had strange quirks such as chewing on the end of the ink pen she wrote with. Other times, she would look off into the distance and mouth things to herself. Whatever the case, she was always dedicated and very peaceful.

She caught him watching her and stared at him back with mild irritation.

"What?" She bit out.

Itachi simply shook his head at her question. It was best that he did not inform her of his findings on the account that she was already dissatisfied with his presence. Plus he didn't want to chase away one of his only forms of communication, even if he did not deserve to be near her. In all honesty though, she made him want to be selfish and just so he could bask in her presence for a little while longer.

"You were staring." She informed him in exasperation.

"I was just thinking."

"About?" She pursed her full lips into a little pout. Itachi couldn't help that it was actually rather_ cute_ seeing her act in such a way. He perished his thoughts. Thinking about his comrade in such a way was inappropriate. Especially since he had no intention of furthering their partnership beyond being professional.

"Your dedication to your work. It is commendable."

Her eyes widened slightly, it was obvious she didn't expect to say something of the sort. "...Thanks."

The rest of the morning continued in silence.

* * *

000

As always, she met the former team 10 at their favorite cafe for lunch. At the time she worked with Itachi, Ino and Chouji were also working on their own assignment. While Shikamaru worked with Sasuke on the village's new policy. So it was easy to meet with each other during their break.

"How are the new policies coming along, Shikamaru?" Chouji asked between taking bites of meal.

The dark haired man sighed. "Troublesome. It seems the Uchiha and I are coming to some forks in the road."

Sakura listened to the conversation, but offered no input of her opinion. It didn't take much for her to notice Ino was doing the same.

"What about you, Sakura? How is working with the other Uchiha? Is he giving you any trouble?" The genius asked.

Sakura briefly thought to her brief working relationship with Itachi. Other than their initial disagreement, their working relationship had been pretty good and not once since the first time had they had any problems. In fact, she was beginning to find his company..._satisfactory_.

"Fine."

"You're sure he's not giving you any trouble? Because if he is, I can have someone else replace his spot. I know Genma was asking if there was an opening in the council."

_Genma. Like hell_ she wanted to work with him again.

"No!" She cleared her throat when everyone, except for Ino, looked surprised by her reaction. No one needed to be reminded about her history with Genma. "Really, Uchiha-san is helpful. Just a little weird, I suppose."

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders.

"That's an Uchiha for you." He took a sip of tea from the porcelain glass. "I don't think he'll give us problems though. To tell you the truth I would have preferred to work on policies with him. He's not as obdurate as Sasuke. But Naruto was firm on his decision to make Sasuke his right hand. So, I just have to trust his word."

"I'm sure Sasuke will come around sooner or later. Maybe it's just strange being back here after everything that happened..." Ino added quietly, to everyone's mild surprise. Usually, both her and Ino were quiet when it came to Sasuke. It was just as awkward for both of them to talk about about their former crush.

Shikamaru studied the blonde momentarily. "Yeah, maybe."

"Sasuke's always been stubborn. I think Ino is right though. He'll come around." Chouji smiled at Ino. Sakura didn't miss the glint in his eyes when looking at the blonde. _  
_

The rest of their meal, the group of friends engaged in small talk. Besides the strange new addition of the Uchiha's and their comrades, everything else had been rather wonderful. There was a unity that strengthened between the hidden villages after the war ended. Not to mention the village's economy had been rather prosperous. Tsunade had informed her, it was the first time in many years the village had been doing so well financially.

They also found out the overall happiness of everyone had increased also. It was no wonder why Naruto had brought back the two remaining Uchiha and their comrades at this time. There was really no better time. The villagers would be more accepting at this time and that was already taken into account how skeptical they were already. If it had been during a worse time they may have been more outraged by their return.

* * *

The next few days had gone well enough. She found that her and Itachi were able to converse about more than just work. In fact, the man was rather thoughtful and more than once he had brought her tea to start her morning. Judging from the thermos he brought it in, she deduced he made it at home. Admittedly, while she thought it was a rather sweet gesture, she didn't know what to make of it. He was just so different than the image she had burned in her mind.

"How are you enjoying being back in the village?" She asked one morning.

He studied her warily, as if the question was too much of an intrusion, but he answered her anyway. "It is well."

"I'm sure it's nice spending time with Sasuke. It's good that you found each other after everything-uhh..." She inwardly slapped herself. What a poor choice of words. Had she really become so insensitive? This was really none of her business and why was she so curious anyway?

A small smile graced the handsome Uchiha's face. He looked ethereal almost, or as much as one could in dim lighting.

"I'm sorry for asking, I shouldn't pry like that...ah, habits are hard to break."

"Unfortunately, I do not get to see Sasuke as much as I would like to. We are both very busy."

"I see." She mumbled, quickly turning her attention back to the map of Iwa she had been looking over. On the count, that they were expected to visit the Tsuchikage's adversaries within the next few weeks.

Itachi tilted his head to the side, regarding her wordlessly. "Tell me, Haruno. Were you a good friend of Sasuke's?"

The pink-haired kunoichi was taken aback by the question. Though, she should have expected the possibility considering she had brought him up first. She waved her hands profusely.

"We were teammates once. That was it. Nothing too important." She feigned a laugh, one that had thrown off others in the past. Unfortunately, he was a lot smarter than that.

"Being former teammates is a notable relation."

Preventing him from asking anymore awkward questions, she changed the subject. "Are you already packed for Iwa? I hear it's really hot there, I've actually never been!"

"...It is a beautiful country."

There was no doubt he knew that she was changing the subject and she was grateful he didn't make mention of it.

* * *

A few days later they left for their mission. Itachi followed behind her, letting her take the lead.

They arrived to Iwa just as the sun began to set. The dry, brown country heavily contrasted the vibrant green Konoha she was so used to.

Promptly upon arriving to the Iwa gates, they were greeted by two shinobi. One was tall, about a head taller than she was. Much like Uchiha-san. Though, the man was rather portly and his hair was short and burgundy. The other was surprisingly just below her height. Similarly, his hair color matched his partner's, but it was far longer in length. They greeted her kindly and both shook her hand firmly. Strangely enough, they didn't greet Itachi in the same way, instead they briefly acknowledged his presence but their attention quickly returned to her.

"You are here on official business, correct?" The shorter nin questioned.

"Yes, we are here to meet with Akatsuchi-san-"

Almost instantly, a much larger, portlier man approached them. From what she vaguley remembered from the war, this was the man that was the Tsuchikage's guard, but also the man who agreed to show them around.

"Konoha shinobi." Akatsuchi greeted them with a faint smile.

"I apologize for coming much earlier than our meeting. We didn't expect to arrive so soon." Sakura smiled sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it." The large man waved off her concern. "It's a long journey from Konoha. You two must be hungry."

As if on cue, Sakura's stomach growled.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to get something to eat." She smiled sheepishly.

The man chuckled then patted his large stomach. "I'll show you two what Iwa dining is all about!"

They followed after Akasuchi in the direction of the eatery,

Just as they were leaving the Iwa gates Sakura noticed_ it_.

While, walking past the two guards, she practically felt the heat from their glares. But they weren't aimed at her.

* * *

0000

Sakura found that Iwagakure was a lovely village. The civilian villagers were kind and welcoming. The shops were beautiful. Even the scenery, which was mostly rock and slightly desert was breathtaking.

Unfortunately, it was just so damn hot.

Worst of all, both her and Itachi were dressed in their standard jounin outfits.

One would think since shinobi were expected fight in them they would be more comfortable. On the contrary. It took everything in her power to not discard her jounin vest and roll the legs of her pants up to her thighs. _Really_, she was going to have to file a complaint about their uniforms whenever they got back to Konoha.

But those thoughts were out of her mind in a second when she ran into Uchiha-san's back.

She rubbed the part of her face that had crashed into his back and muttered an apology. Unsurprisingly, he said nothing, but their was a glint of amusement in his eyes.

_Stupid Uchiha._

_Stupid Heat._

_Stupid Iwa._

"You're both about to experience the best tasting food in your life!" Akatsuchi waved his arms enthusiastically. He then grabbed both her and Uchiha-san's arms and led them into the restaurant.

The restaurant was a hot spot for Iwa shinobi. Sakura had actually heard about this place before. Tsunade had told her about it on more than one occasion. Apparently the restaurant specialized in serving many unique sake flavors. But what was more famous about the place was what kind of food they served. Iwagakure had many unique animals living in their stony terrain. One of those animals included, their famous striped boar, which was a special at the restaurant.

For a place that served delicacies, though, it appeared to be anything but special. Mostly, it looked like an old and dingy cafeteria in the bases outside of Konoha.

Sakura was already having a hard time with the place, but when they were served an entire striped boar with an apple in its mouth, she wanted to crawl away. It was nearly the size of the table! Then there was the fact that she could see her food's face...

The only thing it had going for it was that it smelled delicious.

On instinct, she poked at it.

"Careful, Haruno, it may bite you." Sakura's eyes widened slightly and she turned to Itachi. There was a glint of amusement in his dark eyes as he stared back at her. A small smirk softened his features.

Uchiha Itachi just made a joke. _But it was a really terrible joke. _

The prodigy who was regarded in Konoha as one of the greatest geniuses ever but also as one of the worst traitors, had a sense of humor, but it was a terrible sense of humor. Sakura could hardly believe it. She covered her mouth and laughed into her hand. His sharp cat-like eyes seemed to smile at her reaction.

"Enough, you two. Try the food!" The rotund Iwa nin placed a piece of the meat on their plate. She watched as Uchiha-san cut into the meat with his fork and knife. He took neat and measured bites. With quick glimpses of his teeth and tongue, somehow he made eating look like a form of art.

Sakura turned her attention to her own food and decided to try it for herself now. It was tender and smoky flavored. While she wasn't a huge fan of eating animals, she had to admit, the food was quite delicious.

A waiter placed ceramic _ochokos_ at their sides and poured sake in. "For the lady, a fruity flavored sake and for the gentleman a full-bodied." The man said before leaving.

"Perhaps we should not drink while we are working." Itachi-san said.

But having trained alongside the legendary Tsunade, she couldn't quite pass up the chance to drink sake. That would only be an insult to her teacher's honor!

In one quick motion, Sakura took a swig of the alcoholic contents. Just as the waiter said, it was fruity but it also complimented her dinner perfectly.

Itachi's eyes widened imperceptibly.

"I'll have another!" She smiled and the waiter placed the _tokkuri_ full of sake on the table.

Five shots later, she felt the lighter and a lot more chipper. Tsunade-sama and Akatsuchi-san were right, this restaurant was great!

Glancing over at her partner, she noticed he had not touched his sake and instead settled for drinking water.

"Do you not like to drink, Uchiha-san?" She asked.

"Seldom." He answered curtly. _As Always._

She wished he was more talkative, it would sure make this trip a lot more interesting. If Naruto or Ino were here, they would be downing shots. Unfortunately, this man was not like that.

"Uchiha?" Akatsuchi echoed. "I wasn't aware you were an Uchiha... Though, considering your features, I suppose I should have assumed...Are you related to Uchiha Sasuke?"

_Very much so_, Sakura thought inwardly.

"Aa."

"Are you cousins or something?"

"Aa."

The man raised an eyebrow. "You're not very talkative are you?"

Sakura muttered under her breath. "Imagine it from my point of view."

The man laughed, but Itachi looked at her very seriously. It seemed like he was about to say something, but then he turned his attention back to his food.

With a mouth full of food, Akatsuchi spoke. "So, how long are you two staying in Iwa?"

"Until tomorrow morning." Uchiha-san answered, much to their surprise.

"Aw, that's a shame! There's so much I would love to show you Konoha nin about our great village."

"Perhaps another time."

The group finished the rest of their food before their Iwa guide spoke again.

"I'm sure you both are tired. I can take you both to your room, if you'd like."

Sakura's face practically lit up. She couldn't wait to lay in a comfy bed after a full day of travel. "That would be great!"

While Sakura followed after Uchiha-san and Akatsuchi. She had taken notice of some Iwa shinobi that were watching them from their meal.

_"Watch out for his eyes, Sachio,"_ One man laughed.

Another man stabbed the eyes of the dead boar on the table. _"That would take care of that scum." _He said, then his eyes flicked over to Itachi.

Her eyes narrowed at them. Were they really implying what she thought they were?

Sakura thought back to the guards earlier. They had looked at Itachi with disdain too.

Suddenly, it clicked. These shinobi were not happy with his presence. But _why_? He hadn't done anything. It's not like they knew he was Uchiha Itachi. She was sure of that. So, why were they being so cruel? Was it because they overheard that he was supposedly Sasuke's cousin?

She was about to go over there and set them straight, until a large and warm hand grabbed hers. Sakura looked up to find Itachi looking down at her.

"Perhaps we should retire to our room. It is getting quite late." He said.

Maybe he didn't hear what they said...Though, part of her knew that was preposterous. The man was such a brilliant shinobi, how could he not overhear a conversation that was only a few steps away from where they were walking.

He did hear. He had to of. More importantly he knew she would have said something... But he didn't want her to say anything and it was really frustrating.

And all she could do was nod at his statement. His grasp on her hand didn't leave until they were out of the restaurant and unfortunately, she didn't get the chance to put those trashy men in their place.

But at least she sent them a scary death glare before she left.

* * *

000

They had been shown to their room a few moments later. Because they were so close to Naruto, they were given a large, shared guest room in the Tsuchikage's tower. It was a rather simple room. There were two beds, a night stand, and a large bookshelf. It looked a lot less fancy than the guest rooms in Konoha, but considering they were staying just one night, she supposed it wasn't a major issue.

Itachi-san was on his bed, reading some large, _boring_ book about the cosmos. She wasn't sure how he found such things so interesting, but she didn't ask. Instead, her mind kept mulling over the events that occurred earlier. She still couldn't push the idea out of her mind that these people hated Uchiha-san. He hadn't said anything and was polite to anyone he actually did have to talk to. But his whole presence in their village was an issue for them. And for the life of her she couldn't understand it. But even more so, she couldn't understand why he didn't say anything, or even look like he was bothered.

_He's used to this kind of thing, s_omething in her mind told her.

She tossed and turned in her bed, trying to find a comfortable position. _Some guest room_, the beds were lumpy and hard and terribly uncomfortable. She kicked the sheets off her legs and stalked to the bathroom.

Luckily, she had packed shorts and a tank top with her. This country was way too damn hot and her mind was still on those shinobi from earlier. After she changed, she returned to her and Itachi's shared room. He hadn't even shifted from his position and she was sure the only thing that did change was the page he was reading.

Without looking up, he spoke. "Is something troubling you, Haruno-san?"

She froze in place. Was her bad mood that obvious? Sakura sat on her bed and pulled her knees up to her chin. "It's nothing. These beds are just uncomfortable... I may as well sleep on jagged rocks."

Itachi looked over her then, for a very brief moment she thought she saw obsidian orbs rove over her bare legs.

"Hn."

_Typical_, she thought. She realized she preferred the Uchiha Itachi who actually joked with her in the restaurant. Where was _he_?

"Have you planned what you will say to, Kimura-san?" He questioned.

"No."

"I think it is best if I remain here while you speak to him."

"...Why?"

"Kimura-san... has a preference for young women."

Her eyes widened and on instinct she roughly threw a pillow at him, but he moved out of the way before it hit his head.

What the hell was she doing? She was really beginning to feel a lot more comfortable around him. Maybe she went too far.

Before she could feel mortified by her own reaction, he actually laughed.

It was the second time she ever heard him laugh and it made her realize that she would like to hear him do it more often.

"Please refrain from making me your target, Haruno."

"Please refrain from making me eye candy, _Uchiha-san_."

"I am not." He closed his book and set it on the nightstand. "If you are alone, you will make a greater difference."

"Ugh... I don't want to be alone in a room with him." She crossed her arms over her chest. "He sounds like a total creep to me. What? Since he likes women so much maybe I need to bat my eyelashes, and hope he'll say yes." She deadpanned.

"I see. However, Akatsuchi has expressed he is more likely to help a woman."

"I still don't want his creepy beady eyes running all over me."

Itachi sighed. "Alright."

"So you'll go?" She really didn't like the idea of going alone. They were both representatives of Konoha, after all. It should be customary that they go together.

He nodded.

"Good!"

Itachi smirked. "So bossy."

She responded by throwing the only other pillow on her bed at him. This time it directly connected with his head.

* * *

000

The next morning Sakura had a private meeting with Kimura, much to her dismay. It was decided because the man himself suggested it, saying he had room in his office for only one of them. As Sakura thought, the man was a bit of a creep.

Luckily though, because he had found her so 'exotic,' (she internally gagged when he said that) the meeting was working in her favor.

"My property is large." He smirked at her, and Sakura was positive he was talking about more than his training grounds. She was going to vomit on him if he continued. "It'll be more than accommodating for the chunin exams. Not to mention there are several types of large species in our wilderness that will be pose more than enough challenge for the genin. I'll be more than happy to let you use the training ground, of course." His eyes practically twinkled. "However, I would like a little something in exchange."

"You will be compensated."

"With a country as prosperous as Konoha, I'm sure I do not have to worry about receiving compensation." The man laughed loudly. His hand rested on her knee. She wanted to kill him. "Has Akatsuchi showed you around the village? I would be happy to show you around."

"Perhaps next time we visit."

"You know you're free to visit whenever _you_ would like. You don't need to come only when you have an assignment." Kimura lifted up her left hand and stared at her fingers. "No ring?"

"No...no ring." She feigned a laugh. But really she felt her insides crawling. The man was old enough to be her father!

His thumb rubbed up and down her bare ring finger. "That's a shame."

She wanted to claw his eyes out.

"I'm in a relationship though..." She lied.

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Must not be a good man if he's letting you come here by yourself."

What the hell was that supposed to mean? "Ah, he didn't let me come by myself. My partner...he and I are together." She really hoped Uchiha-san wouldn't mind her lying about them being in a relationship. Surely, he would understand this guy was as much of creep as she said he was.

"He's a very lucky man." The old man looked disappointed. _Good. _"Your partner...what clan is he from?"

For some reason her stomach started hurting, anxiety coiled within her.

"Uchiha ...why?"

"Uchiha?" The man echoed. His calm face instantly dropped into a scowl. "You can forget it then."

"Excuse me?"

Kimura stood to his feet.

"I lost my sons because the Uchiha clan found it fit to make an enemy out of the entire shinobi nation." The man was practically in hysterics.

"That wasn't Daisuke's fault." She said between clenched teeth.

"He's part of that abominable clan. They're all the same. Get the hell out of here. Take your Uchiha trash with you."

"Don't you dare talk about Daisuke like that!" Sakura shouted.

He yelled in her face.

"Shut your mouth! Do you think I care who your Hokage is?"

Sakura lost it then, she was about ready to hit the man but her action was quickly halted.

She wasn't sure how it happened, but one moment she was ready to lose it and the next she was being restrained tightly in Itachi's arms. Sometime during the shouting match, he and Akatsuchi-san had came in.

Her head rolled up on his chest and he stared down at her with a confused expression. "Haruno?"

Sure, she may have had her differences with Uchiha-san at first, but she had found that he was actually really kind and caring. And he may have been insufferable at times, but she had grown to sort of care about him as a friend and she would be damned if anyone talked badly about someone she cared about. She broke out of his clutch, grabbed his hand and tugged him out of the room.

"We're leaving."

He remained silent as she dragged him away. It wasn't until they were out of the room and away from people that he stopped in his tracks. Coming to an immediate halt, she almost stumbled to the ground from the sudden disturbance in motion. With the hand she had been holding onto his with, he spun her around to face him.

"What happened?"

"Nothing happened, that guy is just an unreasonable jerk. Can we leave now?"

Itachi frowned at her.

"Do not lie, _please_."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words to do so. Before she knew it, she felt her hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She was crying. She felt like such an idiot for doing this in front of him.

With his free hand, he cupped her face and wiped away a tear with his thumb.

"Was this about me?"

She pulled his hand away from her face and looked away, it suddenly seemed impossible to meet his gaze. Especially when their close proximity felt intimate. "Why would you think this has anything to do with you?"

"Because I am aware that my presence is not entirely welcomed here."

She snapped her head back at him then. So he did notice those shinobi yesterday...Why didn't he defend himself! Why did he turn a blind eye to everything?

She ground her teeth together.

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"They have every right to feel wary."

"No they don't. Just because some bad apples in your clan, doesn't mean you should be treated this way."

He looked off into the distance there was sad smile on his face. That single reaction told her so much about him, but at the same time, she realized she knew so little. But what she was certain of was that it seemed he was indeed used to this type of treatment and the idea unsettled her. Up until now, she had only really experienced the professional side of Itachi. Seeing him this way put things in a new perspective.

He must have dealt with this type of reaction a lot and what was worse, was she, too, had been wary of him once. The fact that he more than likely faced this alone made her feel a sharp pain in her chest and not long after she was crying harder.

"Sakura?" Itachi sounded alarmed. Had she not been so lost in here emotions she may have actually noticed he used her first name then.

He led her onto the single couch conveniently located in the waiting room. "Wait right here." He commanded.

Before she had any time to protest, he was already gone. It wasn't until the tears had stopped falling did she realize that Itachi went to the room Kimura was in. Her heart dropped at the realization. She quickly sprinted to the room, not at all caring that she was barging in without make her presence known. When she opened the door she was greeted with a terrible sight she was not expecting to see.

Itachi's forehead was pressed to the ground, he was on his knees, his legs folded on each other. He was bowing to Kimura as if the man was some type of God. It sickened her.

Akatsuchi stared at her with an almost dumbfounded expression while Kimura was still wearing his scowl from earlier. His foot pressed into the back of Itachi's head.

She was about to march over there until Akatsuchi sharply caught her arm. Meeting her eyes, he shook his head. And all Sakura could do was continue to watch while feeling a wretched beating at her chest.

"My son...he was so young!" The man choked out. There were tears welling up in eyes.

Kimura looked between her and Itachi who was bowing on the ground, before he finally breathed out harshly. Holding back the even stronger emotion ready to spill from him.

"Fine. I will help you two. But do not think I did this for either of you. It is for the benefit of our youth. In order to be able _protect_ our village and prevent anyone going through what I did."

"Thank you." Itachi said as he stood up to his feet.

Kimura looked at her then, it was clear he was expecting the same response. As much as she wanted to tell him to 'fuck off' she wasn't going to make Uchiha-san's efforts go in vain.

She forced out a reluctant 'thank you' and was grateful he didn't ask for it to be more sincere.

Itachi stopped in his tracks, just outside the door. "I'm sorry for your loss." He said quietly.

"Yeah, yeah." The old man turned to Akatsuchi. "See them out."

* * *

000

Night had fallen not long ago.

There was still sometime before they would reach Kusa, so they had taken a rest stop after hours of travelling.

Sakura sat on a tree stump, sharpening her kunai. Even though they were alone and far from Iwa, she still hadn't said anything and Itachi was becoming alarmed.

Throughout the majority of their trip, Sakura was incredibly quiet. Itachi was sure she was still mulling over the disastrous meeting they had in Iwa. Ironically enough, she seemed more upset about the situation than he did.

By now, he had become accustomed to such treatment that it did not affect him in any way. Truthfully, he had faced much worse, from people spitting on him to others trying to kill him. In fact, what he faced in Iwa seemed harmless in comparison. In reality, he found it was a welcomed change to what he had previously experienced.

"Haruno." She looked up at him then, thankfully. "Are you feeling ill?"

Normally, he supplied very little input during their conversations because he enjoyed whenever she spoke. But now that she was silent and was so visibly upset he started to feel something akin to an empty void. It was a very strange, unfamiliar feeling.

She frowned and looked away. "I'm fine, Uchiha-san."

He was certain she was anything but. But what was troubling was_ why_ she was so upset. It was because of him. Why did she feel so much emotion for _him_? The bulk of what she knew about him was that he was a murderer who had killed his own kin. A dead man who had been forced to disgrace the world with his presence once more. The mistrust and disrespect he was receiving from others was his punishment. Truly, there was no reason why she should feel this way.

"Sakura." The use of her first name had surprised her, he knew. It may have been disrespectful to use her name without asking for her permission, but he was certain it was the only way to get her attention. "Do not feel pity for me."

She stilled her movements and looked up at him. It was then that he really noticed how puffy and red her eyes were from crying. Seeing her in such a state of distress did not sit well with him. Especially because it was over him. She need not feel so much emotion for him.

But truthfully, he found the gesture becoming.

"You are aware of my past, are you not?"

"I am."

Carefully, he sat down next to her. There was some distance between them, but they were close enough that he felt the heat from her body.

He thought back to the old man from Iwa and what he had told him. The man had lost his first son during the third shinobi war, then lost his second one during the fourth. Both fatalities caused by Uchiha.

Worst of all the man had seen it with his own eyes, _twice_.

The man had been there when his children were born into the world and he had also been there when they was unfairly taken out. It was understandable why he had felt so upset.

"Kimura-san also lost people he cared about." He stared at the flock of birds flying overhead. A murder of crows. "I feel like I understood him."

Itachi wasn't sure what came over Sakura, but the next thing he knew, her arms wrapped around him and she wept his shoulder.

* * *

**A/N: There are many reasons why we wrote this fic. But one of them was because we weren't happy with how the racism against the Uchiha was handled in the series. It was kind of brushed off and made to look like it was all the Uchiha's fault because "they were evil." I think there are always two sides so I felt it was important to tackle that.**

**Also don't worry about love triangles or anything like that in this. We both actually hate love triangles.**

**Hopefully you enjoyed this. Please review if you get the chance!**

**xo aaa**


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